


O Human Child

by Ori_Cat



Category: Chronicles of Ancient Darkness - Michelle Paver
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Kid Fic, the continuing quest to name everyone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-13 16:48:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14116668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ori_Cat/pseuds/Ori_Cat
Summary: How Narrander proposed to his wife. As narrated by Narrander and his wife.





	O Human Child

Dakru looked up as her husband ducked into the shelter, shaking drops of water from his forearms and hands. “I am worn out,” he announced, plopping down atop one of the reed mats. If he had sluiced himself off, it hadn’t been a very thorough job - there were still speckles of eel blood on his upper arms and neck and calves, and he smelled like fish. But that was to be expected around eel run time - the whole clan went out night and day at run time, fishing and bleeding and cleaning and smoking, so they would have eel for winter. Behind him, Narik dashed in as well, only pausing for a second to pull off his boots and dump them in the doorway. 

“Did you two have a good day?” 

“Yes yes yes!” Narik cried, leaping into her lap, fingers digging into her shoulders. “I found seven frogs and I saw a slowworm too! But I couldn’t catch it.” He frowned. “It was too fast. And I was allowed to help to de-slime the eels, and that’s really fun -” 

She caught Narrander’s eye over his head, and grinned at him. “I hope you are not still slimy.” 

“No, I’m not, look!” He shoved out his hands at her face for her inspection. “And, and Sudru says that his sister’s got a mate so she’s going to be moving away, and he’ll be the oldest one in his family then -” 

“Really? Alwen is? How wonderful!” she said. “We’re going to have to find the time to congratulate them.” Not as though that would be difficult, around the crowded camp. 

Narrander stretched luxuriously, enough that she could almost hear his spine complain. A day hauling traps out of the river could do that to someone. His hand fell upon her knee, and she covered it with her own. 

“Faaaa?” Narik asked. 

“Yes?” 

“How did you and Ma get mated?” 

“Well,” Narrander started. “Um. Uh -” 

Dakru laughed. “Yes, that’s just about how it went!” Her husband shot her a look that was a mix of embarrassment, fondness, and amusement. 

“What does that mean?” 

“It means,” answered Narrander, pulling his plait over his shoulder and starting to pick apart the strands, “that I was a very awkward young man, and evidently your mother was able to look past that.” 

“Well, I found it very endearing,” she corrected. 

“Luckily for me.” He shook the last of his hair loose and finger-combed it back, smirking at her from underneath the mess. 

Narik bounced impatiently in her lap. “But tell me!” he begged. 

“You were making baskets, I think,” Narrander began, looking over at her sweetly, “and I thought I wasn’t going to get another chance to catch you without all your family there, and, well, I -” 

“You said you had to ask me something.” 

“I did,” he said. He shook his head. “Gosh, I was so nervous. I thought, I had to say the exact right thing or you would never look at me again. And so I screwed up my courage, and I said ‘Dakru, will you be my mate?’” 

“And she said yes!” Narik sang out, looking over at his mother for confirmation. 

She tried and failed to bite back a smile. “…..no.” 

“But -” 

“I told him I had to think about it.” She folded her hands. “It’s a big decision, Narik. It’s one of the biggest and most important decisions you’ll ever make in your life. It’s not something you should be making lightly, and I wanted to be very sure before I agreed.” 

“Was Fa disappointed?” 

“I’m sure he was.” 

“Your mother is right, though,” Narrander cut in. “And besides, she hadn’t officially said no yet either.” 

She lifted one of her curls out of her face. “So, I went home and I thought about it, did a lot of thinking. And I asked my sisters about how they decided with their mates, and my mother with my father.” 

“Can you do that?” 

“Of course, darling.” She dropped a kiss onto the whorl of hair that stuck up atop his head. He’d had that ever since he was a baby. “You never have to make decisions all on your own. You can ask advice of anybody if you think you need it.” 

“But in the end you said yes.” 

“That’s right.” 

“Why?” he chirped. 

“Because your father is a good man,” she said. “He has a good heart, and I knew he would take good care of me and of my children. And I knew he would make me happy.” And so far, she was three for three on that. 

“Did you kiss?” Narik asked. “Kara says you have to kiss, or else you aren’t officially mates.” 

“That isn’t true,” Narrander said. “Not that kissing your mother isn’t very nice, but it’s not strictly necessary to realize your bonding as mates. You just have to agree, and then it is official.” 

“But did you?” Narik insisted. 

“We hugged instead,” Narrander replied. “Well, I say hugged - you almost smooshed me, you were that excited.” 

“Only a little bit so. You were just as excited as I was.” 

“You knocked us both into the lake!” 

“That was you, silly.” And that might have ruined the moment, if they hadn’t both been laughing almost too hard to keep their heads above water, if they hadn’t both been practically amphibious since the day they could walk, for no Otter child could hate water. As things had stood, it had only been more endearing. She leaned over to kiss him, and he happily wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. 

Narik made a face up at them. “And then what happened?” 

“Then _you_ -” Dakru tapped him lightly on the nose - “showed up. And we got quite busy.” 

“Am I a lot of work?” 

“Worth every second of it, though,” Narrander said. “We wouldn’t trade you for all the stars in the sky. You’re the best son we could ever wish for.” 

“You’re the best Fa too!” Narik replied. “And the best Ma,” he added quickly. 

“Well, that all just works out perfectly then, doesn’t it?” Dakru said, as her husband leaned over to envelop both her and Narik in a tight hug. Narik snuggled in closer to her chest, a little warm ball, and Narrander pressed another soft kiss to the space behind her ear, and _this_. She could have lived on this love alone, even if she had no food or water or shelter. Her two other halves and her.


End file.
